West
by SquidbaggerOfWoomyAndNgyesness
Summary: Set during my FE Sacred Stones Redone mod. A novelization of Rameses and Edelgard's B Support.


It took Rameses a long time to navigate away from all his allies in camp. He slipped around countless allies hanging around camp. In all their eyes, he could see the same expressions. Weariness of travel, overlayed with a sense of hope. They all looked forward to the future with a sense of eagerness.

He needed to get away, find some space from the crowds. He traveled until he reached the edge of camp. Sunset blazed in full glory over the area of the WoomyNgyesOofWumpyOomyVeemoNgwehVroomy continent they were on. A glowing brooding sun turned the entire world into a conflagration, deep red copper clouds streaking over orange-hued skies and burnt orange rocky grounds. The sun itself lingered behind the peak of uneven, parched, rocky ground. Rameses stood at the edge of camp, wordless, watching the sun slowly drift behind the mountains and sink below the horizon. The world changed from deep copper to darker reds, to colder blues and violets, and lastly to the black of night, during which Shaggy's galaxy system appeared over camp, illuminating the camp in a soft gentle glow. He found himself seated cross-legged on the ground, curled up alone, staring straight to the west black sky, but imagining an altogether different landscape. Sea-like, roiling sand tumbling and splashing endlessly in waves over the land. Monuments and pyramids rising over grand cities. Proud murals of gods and pharaohs painted over walls. Rameses had never truly been this far from Egypt before. Even whenever he had to go out and crush Egypt's enemies, he would never stray far from the nation to do so, let alone stay away for so long.

Rameses ruminated so deeply that he almost failed to hear the stiff clop of heeled boots against the hard ground louden behind him. Only when the walker came extremely close did Rameses realize that someone was approaching him. He turned around, a little uneasy to encounter company, and then realized his company was none other than Edelgard. The disgraced Adrestian Empress glanced once up at the stars, then down at Rameses, and then sat down on the hard-packed land. She spent several long moments watching the west, just as Rameses did, a solemn silence overtaking her. Only after breathing silence for a long time did Edelgard speak up.

"Your priests were wondering where you had wandered off to." Edelgard said.

Rameses barked a short clipped laugh.

"They always likes to know where I am, doesn't they?" Rameses asked.

Edelgard shrugged.

"Well... you can hardly blame them. It's their job." Edelgard replied.

"Right." Rameses muttered.

He lapsed into silence again. Edelgard did the same. Neither the Pharoah or Empress moved much beyond breathing, staring into the west. Although Edelgard had only spent a week together traveling throughout the continent with Rameses, her step-brother, and their other allies, the Adrestian had begun to pick up on Rameses' emotions. He was surprisingly sympathetic for a man who's nation had once enslaved an entire race of people. Edelgard let out an awkward cough.

"So, are you going to be okay with... leaving him behind?" Edelgard asked, with a little hesitation.

Rameses was silent for a moment.

"Yeah. I left that life behind long ago." Rameses replied.

"Hmm." Edelgard muttered.

There was a brief bout of soft silence.

"But… Moses returning to Egypt brought back many old memories. All the pranks we played with the palace's staff. And on each other. He got me more than I got him. Even sneaked a crocodile into my bed once. We used to... we used to race chariots through the streets… even through the temples… nothing would stop us. I usually won those races… made me feel better since he always outsmarted me on the pranking contest. There was this one time we…" Rameses started to say.

He realized he was beginning to ramble and trailed off. He felt like Edelgard wouldn't want to hear about Moses.

"I never knew there was that side of him, from what you've told of him before." Edelgard said, at last.

"No. I wouldn't think so." Rameses said quietly.

"Sounds like it was fun, though. Good to know he had a fun side to him." Edelgard said.

Rameses released a short nostalgic laugh.

"When he dragged it out of me." Rameses said with a smile.

He turned right, glancing over at Edelgard.

"To be honest, I'm a little curious about what your fun side is." Rameses said.

"Hey." Edelgard protested.

Rameses' mouth rose into a bittersweet smile, reflections overwhelming his mind. Still, satisfied with the present and thankful for the present company, he spoke.

"Well then, what were some of the fun things that you did back in your younger days?" Rameses asked.

Edelgard ducked her head.

"Ahhh... we didn't have much free time." Edelgard replied.

"Oh. Right." Rameses said.

He remembered Edelgard telling of her childhood to him before. Even though Egypt had enslaved the Hebrews for four hundred years, even Rameses felt that the experiments that were done on her and her ten siblings were horrible.

"But… there were some happy moments. My... little sister, Arabella... she was always looking to the bright side." Edelgard said.

Her gaze fixed on the moon. It was not full, being in the shape of a crescent, but it was still bright, outshining every star in the deep black night sky.

"Nothing seemed to keep her down. Nothing. She was always chattering. Always bright. Always hopeful. Even when we were all being slowly tortured to death, she made the day pass with all sorts of stories. Stories of our ancestors she remembered Father telling us when we were little. Sometimes, they were even stories she made up herself. They were usually wild." Edelgard recalled.

She laughed. Her expression was fond now, as she stared ahead.

"And… she was always the one to try to get us all singing." Edelgard recalled.

Rameses' eyebrows shot up in amusement at the last remark. He looked at Edelgard with a smirk.

"Oh? Does that mean you singing?" Rameses asked.

"Well... maybe… from time-to-time, her singing… infected me." Edelgard replied.

There seemed to be a… loving tenderness to how she spoke. A sister who truly loved and missed all her siblings.

"Welll, I have a new mission now." Rameses declared.

"Oh? And what's that?" Edelgard asked.

A full grin broke out onto Rameses' face.

"I am going to get you to sing." Rameses replied.

"No." Edelgard protested.

"Yes." Rameses said.

"No. My answer is final." Edelgard said.

"Oh, come on. You can't tell me something like that and then leave me hanging." Rameses said.

"No-o-o-o-o-ope." Edelgard said.

"I'll scheme with Lissa." Rameses said.

"Please don't." Edelgard pleaded.

The whitenette was starting to laugh, though. Her head lifted up and a twinkle entered her eye. One of the first times Rameses had ever seen it. His friend's eye began to reflect the stars. Rameses might have lost his family back in Egypt, he might have left Moses behind, and his nation may have been ruined by the plagues that had inflicted it because of his stubbornness, but he could now cherish his life with Edelgard and the others. He turned away from the west and looked at Edelgard sideways, a sly, mischievous, and thoughtful expression twitching over his face.

"I… don't know if I like this expression." Edelgard said uneasily.

Rameses laughed, starting to feel free. His mood had certainly lightened. He felt the best he had ever felt in a long time. All his earlier insecurities were beginning to be replaced by the same hope for the future that his and Edelgard's other allies held in their hearts. It was time to start building new memories of new laughter with the family before him. He continued to study Edelgard carefully.

"Well… if you're so adamant I don't trick you into singing, how's this? We have some fun with one of the others instead?" Rameses asked.

"What… sort of fun?" Edelgard asked slowly.

"I might be getting too old for this… but what do you say about... some sort of prank?" Rameses asked.

Edelgard was silent for a moment.

"I feel like I might be letting myself slip, but..." Edelgard started to reply.

Her face slowly turned up into a mirroring smile.

"Alright. Sure. Why not. What do you have in mind?" Edelgard asked.

Rameses leaned in to tell her his plan. The friends conferred as the moon rose up, circled around, and shone with the glowing stars.


End file.
